David Quinn, director of the Iona Institute, has described a decision
by the European Commission to publish a diary that refers to Jewish,
Hindu, Sikh and Muslim festivities but makes no mention of Christmas, or
any other Christian holidays as “one more example of the drive to push
Christianity from the public square.”
Speaking to ciNews, Mr Quinn said that the EU does not have a
monolithic approach to this issue, but there are “definitely influential
forces in the EU who seek this end, including in the European
Commission.”
More than three million copies of the diary, intended for secondary schools, have been produced by the European Commission.
“Fortunately, the decision was condemned by members of the EPP,
including Gay Mitchell,” Mr Quinn added. France and some Catholic
groups also opposed the move.
France’s Minister of European Affairs Laurent Wauquiez attacked the
diary.
At a press briefing on the subject, he asked, “Are we ashamed of
our Christian identity? Are we ashamed that the Europe of church
towers is the base of our European identity?”
Christians have been angered because the diary section for December
25 is blank and the bottom of the page with Christmas Day is marked only
with the secular message: "A true friend is someone who shares your
concerns and will double your joy.”
The Commission has responded by saying there will be no mention of any religious feast-days in the future.
Catholic lobby groups and Christian Democrat MEPs had already
complained to the commission about its Christmas card for this year that
bore the words "Season's Greetings" with no reference to Christianity.
Johanna Touzel, the spokesman for the Catholic Commission of the
Bishops' Conferences of the European Community, said the absence of
Christian festivals as "just astonishing.”
"Christmas and Easter are important feasts for hundreds of millions
of Christians and Europeans. It is a strange omission. I hope it was
not intentional," she said. "If the commission does not mark Christmas
as a feast in its diaries then it should be working as normal on
December 25."
Martin Callanan, the leader of the European Conservatives, accused
the commission of being concerned about sending propaganda gifts to
youngsters than the true spirit of Christmas.
"Given that 2010 was the
year when the EU was haunted by its own ghosts of the past, present and
future, it comes as no surprise that the commission is turning into a
bunch of Euro Scrooges.”
"Why is the commission spending money sending calendars to millions
of schoolchildren in the first place? I'm sure that the children could
manage without a present of this nature."
SIC: CIN/IE